Bugs can sometimes really . . . bug you. On the flip side, they pollinate crops, provide food for birds and other wildlife, produce honey and other useful things, and serve as bellwether indicators of our environment's health. That's to say nothing of aesthetic worth. Iridescent dragonflies weaving patterns of light as they patrol a lakeshore, a ghostly luna moth drifting through the dusk-encounters like these enrich our lives enormously.

That's what "Hey, Bug Doctor " is all about: appreciating that the difference between a pesky and a helpful bug often comes down to how, when, and...